[ Poll ] It's STRETCHED, you sillies. :3 [PICS]

DF PLUGS 4 FRESH STRETCHES. Y/Y?

no.		6.6%	[ 164 ]
no.		1.8%	[ 46 ]
no.		3.0%	[ 76 ]
NO.		4.6%	[ 115 ]
******** NO.		15.8%	[ 394 ]
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NO.		31.5%	[ 784 ]
GOLD Y/Y?		36.6%	[ 913 ]

Total Votes: 2492

[IN VEGAS]

HOLY CRAP GUYS! IT'S OVER A YEAR OLD NOW!

The piercings are being STRETCHED. The jewelry sizes are GAUGES (or mm if you're outside the US). not vise versa.

Stretched piercings, yay or nay?

EDIT 5.6.09

at 00ga/10mm now. still 8ga upper lobes (they won't hit 6ga for ANYTHING). retired the conch piercing a couple months after getting it done because i just could not get the hypertrophic scarring to go away.

WHAT HAVE YOU GOTS, GAIA??



goddammit. i forgot the poll.

OH! and if you've got stretched piercings, show them off! and post pics of your pretties too! <3

*own camera's dead atm*

and now for a Public Announcement.

I just wanted to put a warning out to all you DIYers. if you make plugs and talons and things for stretched piercings, please PLEASE DO NOT make them out of Fimo/Sculpy clay. it is in fact toxic to put in your naked ears, especially new piercings. PLEASE DON'T DO IT.

but if you've got nice wood or bone or horn and know what you are doing, then by all means have at it! <3

Proper Use of Terms

Gauge is not a proper verb for this body modification. Gauge is a unit of measurement, in this case. it's actually a US measurement. everyone else goes by mm. Gauging is an incorrect use (as well as expanding and spacing, both of which I've also heard used). The dictionary I looked up in says nothing about it being an intransitive verb, nor does it say anything about adapting to a specified measurement.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gauge <7. a standard of measure or measurement.

Stretching is correct, as it's the process of stretching the skin to a larger size. Stretch is the verb.

gauging =/= stretching.

And please don't call us elitists. We're not stuck up. We just want people to know the right way to do things, the safe way to do things. Using the right words is part of that.

And for those who would like to start stretching, I have a few links of wisdom to offer to you. The more informed you are before doing this, the better it is for you and your ears.

NEW! STRETCHED: A Guide To Stretching Your Piercing Safely (pamphlet)

Tribalectic's Body Piercing Stretching Guide

Onetribe Organics' Stretching FAQ

I'll add more to this as I find GOOD informative ones. body mods: please feel free to link me up!

WHY PIERCING GUNS ARE BAD

Found this gem while perusing the BMEzine Wiki and thought it would be good to include here.

http://www.bmezine.com/news/pubring/20030509.html

Online Shops

A list of good shops online to buy jewelry and tapers and everything else necessary. <3

BodyArtForms : ESSENTIAL.

Steel Navel : AWESOME.

Tawapa : gorgeous, high quality organic jewelry. $$$$ tho.

Frozenfire[/ur] : high-quality hand blown glass. seriously guys. go check him out. he does amazing work and is willing to do custom orders! <3<3<3

Kolo Piercing : recommended by Lady Effward.

DON'T go to Hot Topic or Spencer's. Hot Topic does mostly acrylic (which is fine if you don't mind it I suppose) but Spencer's has horrible quality jewelry. Their stuff is less than seconds.

If you guys think there's any way you can contribute to this post, please by all means let me know! I want this to be a place where people new to stretching can learn how to do it the safe way and have people open to answering their questions. Plus a good place for mods to hang out. <3

THE BLOWOUT SLIDESHOW

THIS, captains, is what can happen when you ******** around and don't do it right. by going too big too fast, etc. not to be viewed by those with weak constitutions.

LOOKIT ME!

OFFICIALLY NOMINATED FOR AWESOMENESS

this is for people who have been especially awesome and awe inspiring and just plain keen.

Gigi Allin
Jemma Fatale
Cayliin
Apryl546
Kass Bennon
Khymaera

BANNERS!

Made a banner or two so you guys can link here through yer sig or profile! yay free advertising! <3 show the love.


art used with permission from Silverleen, a good friend of mine. go lookit her stuff! she's awesome! <3

[PaperCutz]

:3
I have 8g first holes (soon to be 6) and the "standard" 20g second holes.
I used to have third holes but I retired them because they just didn't heal.
I also have a 12g inner conch, but I want it a little bigger. Stretching it is so much more of a b***h than my lobes though xD

[IN VEGAS]

PaperCutz

:3
I have 8g first holes (soon to be 6) and the "standard" 20g second holes.
I used to have third holes but I retired them because they just didn't heal.
I also have a 12g inner conch, but I want it a little bigger. Stretching it is so much more of a b***h than my lobes though xD

I hear stretching cartilage (especially that thick) is a b***h and a half.

what've you got for pretties for your 8g?

[IN VEGAS]

Hey! people are voting but no one's posting! UNACCEPTABLE!

[lilartichoke]

Ragga Lizard

Hey! people are voting but no one's posting! UNACCEPTABLE!

poll whores.
lulz.

You should add that option.

[PaperCutz]

Ragga Lizard

I hear stretching cartilage (especially that thick) is a b***h and a half.

what've you got for pretties for your 8g?

It's not too bad I guess, but it is in a different league to lobes, at least for me. It's a different kind of pain. Although I've had it easy with my lobes so far, the tapers have fallen out the back a few times before I felt anything.

Pretties wise for my 8g's, nothing, I have boring steel bullet plugs in right now xD
Most of my lovely stuff is at a 6g because it's my first goal size. I have lovely glass spirals waiting to be worn which I'm looking forward to though :3

[IN VEGAS]

lilartichoke

Ragga Lizard

Hey! people are voting but no one's posting! UNACCEPTABLE!

poll whores.
lulz.

You should add that option.

suppose i should. dammit.

[IN VEGAS]

PaperCutz

Ragga Lizard

I hear stretching cartilage (especially that thick) is a b***h and a half.

what've you got for pretties for your 8g?

It's not too bad I guess, but it is in a different league to lobes, at least for me. It's a different kind of pain. Although I've had it easy with my lobes so far, the tapers have fallen out the back a few times before I felt anything.

Pretties wise for my 8g's, nothing, I have boring steel bullet plugs in right now xD
Most of my lovely stuff is at a 6g because it's my first goal size. I have lovely glass spirals waiting to be worn which I'm looking forward to though :3

I had these fab spirals with black and white stripes (from Hot Topic LULZ!) @ 8g. those were nice. any new real pretties i'm buying are at 5/8", which is my goal size. SOOO MANY NICE ORGANICS TO CHOOSE FROM! @_@

I do have DF blue goldstone and DF spirally acrylic plugs (4g) that i can't quite wear yet. *shakes fist at still-healing ears*

[ms gilly.]

00g in first lobes.
16g second lobes, used to be 10g.
18g third lobes, used to be 14g.


also have, but not stretched:
16g right tragus.
14g left conch to conch vertical industrial.
14g navel.

[dagon is a gloomy bear]

Used to have 3/4" lobes. Infections, etc, now I'm at... 11mm? 7/16? Something like that.
And I am also stretching my triangle. It's at 8g now. =3 I want to go to 4g at least.

[retrosoup]

I used to have 10g lobes but then I took them out to clean them and I LOST THEM. ******** I hated myself for that. I have to start all over.
They're just regular ears now.
I need to go buy some more gauges.

Not the worst loss, but still bums.

[PaperCutz]

Ragga Lizard

I had these fab spirals with black and white stripes (from Hot Topic LULZ!) @ 8g. those were nice. any new real pretties i'm buying are at 5/8", which is my goal size. SOOO MANY NICE ORGANICS TO CHOOSE FROM! @_@

I do have DF blue goldstone and DF spirally acrylic plugs (4g) that i can't quite wear yet. *shakes fist at still-healing ears*

Jewellery twinnss 8D
I have DF blue goldstone waiting for me to put in too.

We don't have hot-topic over here and my piercer overcharges on practically everything so I get most of my pretties online. Organics look so nice but they don't start looking really worth buying until you get into the more substantial sizes.
Maybe I'll go bigger one day, who knows.

[lilartichoke]

Ragga Lizard

lilartichoke

Ragga Lizard

Hey! people are voting but no one's posting! UNACCEPTABLE!

poll whores.
lulz.

You should add that option.

suppose i should. dammit.

Good work, my friend.

As for the OP, I don't have any piercings.
I do admire african lip stretching stuff.
And I try to figure out all of your kind's language as well.

[Le Discoteka]

I have 4g lobes, I'm hoping to get to 5/8.
Too poor for tapers, so I'm using a sea sponge.

[lilartichoke]

Le Discoteka

I have 4g lobes, I'm hoping to get to 5/8.
Too poor for tapers, so I'm using a sea sponge.

How does a sea sponge work?